FALL 2014 COURSES
Courses for the ES Major: Social and Cultural Perspectives Track
Courses for the ES Major: Environmental Science Track
Courses for the ES Minor
Special Topics Course Descriptions
COURSES FOR THE ES MAJOR
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES TRACK
Foundation Courses:
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
- ES 105 Field Studies in Environmental Science
Core Courses:
- EC 104-E Microeconomics - ES
- EN 229 Literature and the Environment: Muir, Leopold, and Berry
Cluster A Courses:
- AN 205 Meso-American Archeology
- AN 209 North American Archeology
- EC 104-E Intro to Microeconomics - ES
- EN 229 Literature and the Environment: Muir, Leopold, and Berry
- ES 352D Environmental Education
- ES 352D The Politics of Food
- EX 131 Introduction to Public Health
- GW 210 Ecofeminism
- HI 267 American Indian History
- IA 101 Intro to International Affairs
- MB 351 Business and the Natural Environment
Cluster B1 Courses:
- BI 115 Biology of Food
- BI 241 Ecology
- ES 205 Forested Landscapes
- GE 101 Earth Systems Science
- GE 112 Oceanography
- GE 211 Climatology
Capstone:
- ES 374 Environmental Studies Research Capstone
Methods:
- EC 237 Statistical Methods
- ID 210 Introduction to GIS
- MS 104 Introduction to Statistics
- SO 226 Statistics for the Social Sciences
- SO 227 Social Research Methods
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TRACK
Foundation Course:
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
Disciplinary Foundation Courses:
- BI 105 Biological Sciences I
- CH 125 Principles of Chemistry
- GE 101 Earth Systems Science
Core Courses:
- ES 205 Conservation and Use of Forested Landscapes
Cluster A Courses:
- AN 205 Meso-American Archeology
- AN 209 North American Archeology
- EC 104-E Intro to Microeconomics - ES
- EN 229 Literature and the Environment: Muir, Leopold, and Berry
- ES 352D Environmental Education
- ES 352D The Politics of Food
- EX 131 Introduction to Public Health
- GW 210 Ecofeminism
- HI 267 American Indian History
- IA 101 Intro to International Affairs
- MB 351 Business and the Natural Environment
Cluster B2 Courses:
- BI 352 Environmental Microbiology
- CH 221 Organic Chemistry I
- GE 211 Climatology
- GE 304 Geomorphology
Capstone:
- ES 374 Environmental Studies Research Capstone
Methods:
- ID 210 Introduction to GIS
- MS 104 Introduction to Statistics
COURSES FOR THE ES MINOR
Foundation Courses:
- ES 100 Environmental Concerns in Perspective
- ES 105 Filed Studies in Environmental Science
- ES 205 Conservation and Use of Forested Landscapes
Cluster A Courses:
- AN 205 Meso-American Archeology
- AN 209 North American Archeology
- EC 104-E Intro to Microeconomics - ES
- EN 229 Literature and the Environment: Muir, Leopold, and Berry
- ES 352D Environmental Education
- ES 352D The Politics of Food
- EX 131 Introduction to Public Health
- GW 210 Ecofeminism
- HI 267 American Indian History
- IA 101 Intro to International Affairs
- MB 351 Business and the Natural Environment
Cluster B1 Courses:
- BI 115 Biology of Food
- BI 241 Ecology
- ES 205 Forested Landscapes
- GE 101 Earth Systems Science
- GE 112 Oceanography
- GE 211 Climatology
SPECIAL TOPICS COURSE DESCRIPTIONS:
BI 352D Environmental Microbiology - Instructor: S. Franke McDevitt
A study of microorganisms in their natural environment. Students will learn about
the ecology and diversity of microbial communities in soil, water, and air and the
importance of microorganism in nutrient cycling in these environments. In addition
we will look at the microbial communities in extreme environments. In the lab, students
will learn techniques for sampling, culture, isolation and identification of microorganisms
from these various environments. Additional topics include bioremediation, biofilm
engineering, and other applications related to public health, agriculture, food science,
and industry. Prerequisite: BI106, and one 200-level BI course or ES 205 or ES 206. Note: 3 hours lecture and
3 hours lab per week.
EN 229 Literature and the Environment: Muir, Leopold, and Berry - Instructor: M. Marx
"God never made an ugly landscape. All that the sun shines on is beautiful, so long as it is wild."—John Muir
“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”—Aldo Leopold
“When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night . . . I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things.”---Wendell Berry
A deep passion for nature runs throughout the writings of John Muir, Aldo Leopold,
and Wendell Berry. Between the three, their writings span over a hundred years and
extends from Yosemite and the Sierras to Sand County, Wisconsin and the farmlands
of Kentucky. This new version of “Literature and the Environment” provides an intensive
study of these three leading figures in environmental writing. We will focus on how
these authors have translated their love into some of the most important literature
about the environment over the past century. We will analyze how they used their
creative talents to describe the wilderness, argue for the conservation of the land,
and analyze the newest challenges in agriculture and farming. Readings range across
genres and include personal and political essays, fiction, and poetry. Course work
includes three formal papers, short writings for the class blog, examinations, and
oral presentations.
ES 221 Environmental Education - Instructor: AJ. Schneller
Do you have a deep appreciation for environmental protection and a genuine concern
about environmental problems that will affect the Earth and future generations for
years to come? Maybe you also feel the need to share this positive passion for the
environment with children, your friends, and interested members of the community?
Then it's very possible that YOU should explore the field of environmental learning,
and how to become an effective environmental educator! This course will especially
be of interest to future teachers, non-formal environmental educators and advocates,
and students interested in outreach, education, and communications for the non-profit
and government sector. Students will learn about the history and current state of
environmental learning in the US, as well as the various pedagogical tools, programs,
and resources that are available for the global dissemination of environmental learning.
We’ll explore the innovations and philosophies behind experiential and authentic environmental
learning; sustainability education; research on environmental learning (knowledge,
perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors); environmental service learning; earth education;
emancipatory education; critical pedagogy; and issues investigation and action training
(IIAT), etc. Students will research and critique existing environmental education
programs as well as undertake a partnership with a local school, outdoor education
center, National, State, or City Park, youth organization, hospital, non-profit organization,
etc. in order to design and implement an age appropriate, innovative, and inspirational
environmental learning unit. Students will be required to take one mid-term examination,
take quizzes, as well as submit various written assignments.
ES 352D The Politics of Food, Agriculture and Social Justice - Instructor: N. Atalan
Helicke
Our world is in a food crisis. Rising prices, diminishing grain reserves, and global
climate change—with implications for agriculture, crop yields, and water resources—raise
fears of chronic hunger, vulnerability, and the erosion of our natural resources.
Starting with food production and agriculture, this course critically examines the
global agro-food system, including the processing, transport, and marketing of food,
and concludes with the politics of food consumption. We will focus on the problems
with dominant forms of producing and distributing food, including the many environmental
and social inequalities they produce, and what people are doing about them. Although
most would agree that the problems with the food system are systemic and global in
scale, and come from the way food is produced, current solutions tend to focus on
creating alternatives on the local scale, privileging the needs and desires of consumers.
Through case studies, the course will provide you an opportunity to think deeply about
strategies how agro-food systems can promote social justice and environmental sustainability
and whether current alternative solutions to the problems in the global agro-food
system are adequate. Prerequisites: ES 100 or the permission of the instructor.
Requirements for this course include attendance and participation, food-related field trips/fieldwork,
short writing assignments, and a research project.
MB 351B Business and the Natural Environment - Instructor: J. Kennelly
This case-based course aims to foster awareness, sensitivity and literacy concerning the major forces and challenges bearing upon the intersection of business organizations and the natural environment. It broadly examines and appraises the role of business enterprise in relation to the current (and future) state of the planet. The course begins by reviewing major ecological and socio-economic challenges facing the planet, including population growth, human poverty, climate change, toxic pollution, loss of biodiversity, etc, paying particular attention to the impacts of business enterprise upon each issue. The course then turns to an assessment of sustainable development and biophysically and socially sustainable business practices. The course concludes with a comprehensive assessment of various ways business may become a proactive force in an evolution to global sustainability. Prerequisites: MB 107, EC 103, 104, or permission of instructor.
